Sastre happy with Vuelta course

Spanish pro rider Carlos Sastre and CSC directeur sportif Kim Andersen were both happy after the 2006 Vuelta a España course was revealed in Madrid on Wednesday. "I'm very satisfied with the course," Sastre said. "The Vuelta means a lot to me and alongside the Tour de France it's my main objective for next season.

"The course is very tough and there's no doubt you'll need a strong team to be a main contender for the overall win. We did a really good Vuelta this year and I'm looking forward to defending my top result," added Sastre, who finished on the podium after a strong performance in 2005.

"It's a very challenging route, and especially interesting that the first really hard mountain stage come just four stages into the race," said Kim Andersen. "I think it's perfect for Carlos; the route is very hard in the mountains and then we have two time trials, which suits him very well. Like this year, we have a team with set goals over the whole season, which means the Vuelta will be one of our main objectives next year. We have a great result to defend and I believe we have a good chance of achieving this."